The Pera Museum Presents Historic Photographs of the Anatolian Shore

Written by Johan Valdemeyer Friday, 27 January 2012 23:14

Istanbul.- The Pera Museum is pleased to present “From Constantinople to Istanbul: Photographs of the Anatolian Shore of the Bosphorus from the Mid XIXth Century to the XXth Century” on view at the museum through April 1st. This photography exhibition encompasses works by photography masters who practiced their art in and around Istanbul from the end of the 19th to the early years of the 20th century. Curated by Architect Dr. Sinan Genim, it features a selection from the Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation Photograph Collection as well as works from private collections, revealing the magnificent structures, the daily life and the intriguing personalities of an Istanbul of the past. Taken by renowned photographers of the period, such as Ali Sami Aközer, Felice Beato, Guillaume Berggren, the Abdullah brothers, the Gulmez brothers, Ernest Edouard de Caranza, Sebah & Joaillier, Maurice Meys, Ali Oza Enis and James Robertson, as well as amateur photography aficionados, who all employed the difficult and challenging techniques of the period, the photographs included in the exhibition not only offer us a glimpse into the physical and socio-cultural structure of the Istanbul of the period, but they also reveal unique beauties of the city, many of which are either transformed or altogether lost today.

Over the years, the Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation has collected old Istanbul photographs with the conviction that it would serve as an important element in preserving the cultural assets of Turkey. The motivation behind this process was the desire to present these photographs to visitors through a series of books published by the Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation Istanbul Research Institute. Designed as part of this endeavor and first published in 2006, "From Constantinople to Istanbul: Photographs of the Rumeli Shore of the Bosphorus from the Mid-19th to the 20th Century" was not only the first book of the series, but the first published by the Istanbul Research Institute, as well. Written by architect Dr. M. Sinan Genim and comprised of two volumes, the book included more than 400 photographs selected from the Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation Photograph Collection and the archives of important collectors. In January 2012, Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation Istanbul Research Institute has published the second book of the series, namely "From Constantinople to Istanbul Photographs of the Anatolian Shore of the Bosphorus from the Mid-19th to the 20th Century" and invites readers and exhibition visitors to embark upon an intriguing and pleasant journey along the Anatolian shores of Istanbul’s famous strait.


The Pera Museum, which opened its doors in early June 2005, is the first step in a comprehensive cultural endeavor that the Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation has launched. An historic structure which was originally built in 1893 by the architect Achille Manoussos, and which was, until recently, the Bristol Hotel, has been completely renovated to serve as a museum and cultural center for the project. Transformed into a fully-equipped modern museum, this venerable building is now serving the people of Istanbul once again. The first and second floors of the Pera Museum house three permanent collections belonging to the Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation, with the Sevgi and Erdogan Gönül Gallery on the second floor. The third, fourth, and fifth floors are devoted to multipurpose exhibition spaces. There is an auditorium and Pera Education room in the basement, and on the ground floor are the reception desk and Perakende-Artshop and Pera Café. The Suna and Inan Kiraç Foundation's collection of Oriental art consists of more than three hundred paintings. This rich collection brings together important works by European artists inspired by the Ottoman world from the 17th century to the early 19th. This collection, which presents a vast visual panorama of the last two centuries of the Ottoman Empire, includes works by Osman Hamdi, regarded by art historians as the genre's only "native Orientalist" and of course his most famous painting The Tortoise Trainer. Many paintings from the private collections of the late Sevgi and Erdogan Gönül have also entered the foundation's permanent collection. It is planned to exhibit the collection in the Sevgi and Erdogan Gönül Gallery dedicated to their name in a series of long-term thematic exhibitions. The first of these, which opened in early June 2005, is called "Portraits from the Empire" and consists of portraits of sultans, princes, and other members of the Ottoman imperial family as well as of foreign ambassadors together with other "portraits" in the general sense, showing people from many different periods and walks of life. In addition to its function as a private museum in which to display the collection of the Foundation, the Pera Museum is also intended to provide the people of Istanbul with a broad range of cultural services as a modern cultural center located in a vibrant part of the city and equipped with multipurpose exhibition spaces, an auditorium and Pera Education room, and activity spaces for visitors. Visit the museum's website at ... http://en.peramuzesi.org.tr

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